Month: February 2012

How is it possible for a 3rd grader to move in the middle of a school year to a new school and still achieve Student of the Month for his grade? Does he have to try hard to meet his deadlines or does the effort come natural? These were some of the thoughts I had as I was reading a letter from the school addressed to “The Parents of Vincent Pham”. We were notified in advance of a special awards ceremony and given the option to view the assembly on school grounds. Vincent was rewarded for Perfect Attendance, Student of the Month for academic achievement and Math Wizard. Apparently his math skills are at the 94th percentile of his grade. How can we not be proud parents?!

One of the things I remind him about is although this may come easy (for now) is to be grateful for the brain he was given. Maybe some other classmates need to try much harder to grasp concepts, but no matter what, Vincent needs to realize everyone is trying their hardest and to stay humble about his achievements but still be proud.

How do we compete with the lessons that kids learn from movies and games? Vincent came back from a cousins house talking about a video game that hurt people for fun. I knew that we needed to immediately teach Vincent the value of all people. That’s why I was excited to be apart of our church in action day.

Today, the pastor decided to not just have us sit inside the four walls during service, but to actually go out and help people. We drove over to the place where the biggest group of homeless people live in Long Beach, the riverbank. Once there, Vincent helped by handing out lunches, water bottles and blankets. Anson spoke to a few people that were extremely grateful for the warm blankets he gave them. Even though we were there to give and make a difference in the lives of others, I’m praying that this first act of giving will teach Vincent that we value all people and should help others.

I’d have to say that tonight was one of my favorite Friday nights. It was filled with surprises and moments that I’ll always remember. Anson had to work late tonight so I took Vincent and Chloe to McDonald’s for some fun. I was pleasantly surprised when a sweet homeless man came to my rescue and searched McDonalds for the nicest highchair they had. He even apologized when the one he found had a couple crumbs in it. At first his rough exterior made me hesitant, but I quickly saw that he was a gentleman and just wanted to help. The night continued to have wonderful moments when we got home and Vincent and I played a close game of Battelship, followed by obstacle courses in the living room and story time with Shel Silverstein. Vincent has never read The Light in the Attic or Where the Sidewalk Ends but tonight he had his first introduction. We took turns choosing poems and laughing until we lost track of time. With the business of the day, I really love sweet moments like this.

I’ve never really had a regular hair stylist, so when it’s time to get a haircut I always get nervous. I’d noticed a cute salon only a block away and decided to give them a try. I figured “how bad could it be? I only need a trim.” I’ve had enough cuts in the past to know that this girl wasn’t doing things right. I mean I’ve never had anyone in the past rub all my wet hair in my face so much that she offered me a towel to dry myself. I quickly regretted putting on lipgloss before I went in because now I had hair all over my lips. When everything was said and done I looked in the mirror and couldn’t believe the fluffy 80s style she gave me. That’s when I looked around expecting the Punk’d cameras to show up. Needless to say, I’m still in the search for another hair stylist. It can’t get worse than the girl from yesterday, can it?

Last night, Anson and I decided to order pizzas for dinner. We don’t have pizza very often so when we do it’s definitely a treat. To make dinner even more fun we decided to invite over some of my family that live close by. Pretty soon our small dinner turned into a party with 15 people. Even though it wasn’t anything fancy, everyone that came over seemed happy and really grateful for the invite. It really isn’t about having your house perfect or fixing something elaborate, it’s about spending time together and having fun. I look forward to our next spontaneous party.

I’ve had 32 birthdays and yesterday’s was one of my favorites. The day started out with my phone going crazy from all the Facebook notifications, followed by presents, a handmade card from Vincent and a walk to my new favorite bakery. In the evening, Anson made a delicious salmon dinner. I truly am a lucky girl to have such a great chef for a husband! While Anson made dinner, Vincent decided he wanted to be a ninja for the rest of the night. Vincent practiced using his plastic swords and pretended to be in ninja bootcamp. It was all very entertaining. After dinner, we played a game of Yahtzee (Anson beat me by one point) and had dessert. I couldn’t have asked for anything more than the perfect day with my phamily.

Its that time of year again when I turn another year older. This year, Anson planned a romantic Vegas getaway just for the two of us. We stayed at Treasure Island and had a beautiful room with a view of the Vegas strip. Now when you think of Vegas you may think of gambling and drinking. There is definitely a lot of that there, but Anson and I found a lot of other things to do, too. We ate Vietnamese food, went shopping, saw a Cirque du Solei show, went hiking, ate at a fine dining restaurant and of course had coffee while we people watched. We arent big on gambling, but did find a penny slot machine that was fun to play. We gave ourself a limit of $20 and on our second night I was the big winner and won $66 in pennies! Woohoo! I immediately pressed the Cash Out button and decided to quit while I was ahead. Sorry Vegas casino, you didnt get much money from me.

Ive included a couple pictures from our weekend getaway. Ive heard that if you put God first, your spouse second and then kids third, you will have a happy family. Here is our attempt to keep each other second.

Anson and I are grateful when my mom calls us and says, Go on a date. Ill watch the kids! We always take her up on the offer, but then dont know where we should go or what we should do.
Last month, I saw an idea on Pinterest that was too good not to try. The idea was to plan a year of dates for you and your husband and put each date in a separate envelope. Each month on the first, the husband opens the envelope and sees what date they are going on that month. I decided to do this for Ansons Valentine present. He opened up the first envelope today and was surprised with whale watching tickets. I cant wait for him to open the rest of the fun dates I have planned for us! Its going to be a great year!